Competition, Regulation and Trade (non-contentious), Senior Associate in London

Main areas covered:

• General competition (antitrust)
• Cartels and other behavioural investigations
• Merger control and foreign direct investment
• Competition litigation
• Regulatory matters
• State aid
• Public procurement
• EU
• WTO and international trade

Sector expertise includes:

• Energy and natural resources
• Financial institutions
• Consumer goods
• Infrastructure
• Transport
• Manufacturing and industrials
• Pharmaceuticals
• Retail
• Telecoms, media and technology

The Role:

Our Competition, Regulation and Trade group is consistently rated as one of the leading practices in its field, with a team of lawyers based in Europe (London, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Madrid & Paris), Asia and across Australia. Amongst our clients are leading financial institutions, top Fortune and FTSE companies from all industry sectors, regulatory bodies and national governments.

Areas of work:

• Cartel and other behavioural investigations
• Merger control and foreign direct investment
• Antitrust advice
• Competition litigation (private enforcement and appeals)
• Regulatory matters
• State aid, public procurement, WTO and trade

Recent Matters:

• Spreadex in relation to its acquisition of Sporting Index which was subject to a Phase 2 CMA review and an appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
• DAR Lighting in relation to the CMA's investigation into suspected breaches of competition law in respect of the supply of domestic lighting products.
• Wincanton plc on its cash offer from CEVA Logistics S.A., a subsidiary of CMA CGM S.A, and on the subsequent £960m acquisition bid by GXO, subject to a Phase 2 CMA review.
• OneWeb and Bharti Group on OneWeb's combination with Eutelsat including a number of merger and FDI processes.
• The Coca-Cola Company in successfully defending itself against an investigation launched by the European Commission into suspected abuses of dominance.
• VTTI, a Dutch energy storage and infrastructure company, on the acquisition of a majority interest in Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l.
• Uber Technologies on the UK merger control aspects of its acquisition of Autocab, a taxi booking and dispatch software provider; one of the few cases to receive unconditional Phase 1 clearance from the CMA following a Case Review Meeting.
• Meta in respect of an application for a collective action alleging abusive conduct, brought in the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal.
• Google in relation to two applications for CPOs in the CAT on behalf of an online publisher class alleging that Google has abused a dominant position in AdTech tools.
• Various clients on defending follow-on damages claims based on European Commission cartel decisions in respect of refrigeration compressors, bearings, animal feeds, copper fittings and tubes, and carbon graphite.
• Meta in connection with a proposed collective action in the CAT alleging an abuse of a dominant position based on allegations of unfair terms and unfair pricing in respect of the Facebook social media platform.
• Google in connection with claims in the CAT and across Europe seeking damages against Google for abuse of dominance on grounds similar to those raised by the European Commission in the Google Search (Shopping) and the Google Search (AdSense) decisions.
• Google in connection with a collective action on behalf of an online publisher class alleging that Google has abused a dominant position in ad tech tools.
• Iveco and Fiat Chrysler as European coordinating competition litigation counsel in relation to follow-on damages claims stemming from the European Commission's settlement decision in Trucks.

Key responsibilities:

• Plan, prioritise and delegate work tasks as appropriate and update supervising partner on progress.
• Build client relationships - provide excellent client service and prompt responses and progress updates to the client.
• Support the firm and others - build effective relationships with individuals and groups in and across offices; uphold the firm's values; and assist with the preparation of legal precedents, legal articles, marketing documents and presentations.
• Comply with risk requirements, firm policies and all relevant professional responsibilities and legislation.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

We would expect the successful candidate to have had upwards of five years of post‐qualified experience, preferably gained in a strong UK Competition Practice. Regulatory experience and experience of working on mergers both desirable, but not essential. Academic excellence is essential for all positions within Herbert Smith Freehills. We would always expect at least a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) and solicitors' examinations to have been passed first time. All applications should include full academic details including grades, subjects and transcripts where appropriate. Candidates will need to be bright self‐starters looking for a challenge. All candidates will be expected to display excellent interpersonal skills and be able to communicate with individuals at all levels. Strong legal skills, including complex drafting, negotiation and project management skills; good people management and business development skills. Full understanding of law firm profitability and key drivers for financial efficiency; and ability to manage costs and budgets.